In 2026, the Russian retail market for blood glucose test strips transitioned to a model of active quantitative growth, with the key driver being the rapid shift of consumer demand to online channels. In addition, inflationary pressures in the category have stabilized, with physical consumption growing faster than monetary volumes.

In the first seven months of 2026, the Russian retail market for blood glucose test strips (including online and FMCG channels) reached RUB 7.4 billion (at retail prices, including VAT). Compared to the same period in 2025, the ruble growth rate was recorded at 5.8%. Since the beginning of the year, over 398 million test strips were sold at retail, with physical consumption growing by nearly 8.1% over the year. This trend contrasts with the results of 2025, when the market experienced pronounced inflation against the backdrop of stagnant physical consumption volumes. In 2025, Russians purchased just over 651 million test strips, with minimal growth of 0.2% compared to 2024, but spent more than RUB 12.4 billion on them, ensuring a 10.8% increase in the category's value volume. A year earlier, in 2024, the dynamics were more balanced, with the market seeing synchronized expansion in both monetary terms (+9.3%) and physical terms (+8.2%). Over the past four years, consumer spending in this category has consistently increased, with the exception of 2023, when a slight decline in value volume of 0.2% in rubles was recorded, while physical consumption continued to grow, increasing by 1.9%.

The key driver of the retail test strip market during the reporting period was exclusively the e-commerce sector, which showed dynamics of 51.6% in physical terms and 38.5% in ruble terms. This trend developed against the backdrop of stagnation in traditional retail: pharmacy retail recorded a customer outflow, leading to a 1.7% decline in unit sales and a 1.3% decrease in value volume. In January–July 2026, the online segment already accounted for 27% of the total physical volume of products sold and 24.6% of the market's total ruble revenue.

As for blood glucose meters themselves, their retail sales have shown steady positive dynamics over the past three years. From January to July 2026, the market's physical volume amounted to nearly 1 million devices, with total value reaching RUB 2.6 billion. Compared to the same period last year, demand for blood glucose monitoring devices increased by 8.6% in units, accompanied by a 5.3% decrease in consumer spending. The key factor in this high dynamic was also the online segment, where device sales grew by 23.9% in physical terms and 4.8% in monetary terms.

According to the "Retail Audit of Medical Device Sales in Russia (total sell out)" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, 46 brands of test strips were represented on the retail market (including online) in January–July 2026. The composition of the top three segment leaders remains stable, although divergent dynamics were recorded within the TOP-3. The leading position is held by the brand Accu-Chek (manufactured by Roche) with a 33.1% market share, while its physical consumption decreased by 4.7%, and its value sales remained virtually at last year's level, showing minimal growth of 0.4%. In second place, OneTouch (Johnson & Johnson) with a 22.2% market share showed confident expansion: physical demand for the brand increased by 12%, outpacing the growth rate of consumer spending, which increased by 5% in ruble terms. Rounding out the top three is the brand Contour (Ascensia) with a 17.4% market share, showing balanced positive development in both physical (+5%) and monetary terms (+7%). Among the top ten participants, the most intensive growth was demonstrated by the American brand On Call from Aicon Laboratories, whose indicators compared to the first seven months of 2025 increased by 44% in value and 38% in physical terms.

Fig. Dynamics of Test Strip Sales Volume for Blood Glucose Meters on the Russian Retail Market (including online and FMCG channels) in Monetary (retail prices, including VAT) and Physical Terms, in 2022–2025 and January–July 2026